Politics is the ultimate factor in deciphering the difference between a flourishing and a declining nation. Our rebel nation, Bangladesh, has been proactive in politics with citizens always boldly expressing their opinions and raising their voices against sheer injustice. Student politics has been an inseparable portion of the fetters of Bangladesh’s politics; the youth comprise within themselves the power and prowess to change the entire nation for the better.
Before the July uprising of 2024, a year sheared with blood, sweat, and tears of the students regardless of their political stand, Bangladesh saw the deafening behavioural stigma of student politics; where many students were engaged in notorious activities- smuggling of drugs, students supporting the ruling party doing extortion, forcefully making uninterested freshmen join political commotions, harassing female students, and using violence to ensure their domination over everyone in halls and local territory in universities.
Then came July 2024 bringing a surge of courage, freshness of youth, and, at its utmost definition, an array of hope unbounded and unseen in generations. We saw the power that each student holds, the weight their voice and standing carry, and the ascendancy of amalgamation impenetrable over discrimination even amidst uncertainty.
In the aftermath of August 5, Bangladeshis envisioned a new path forward -- one free from injustice, violence, inducement, corruption, crime, racism, and sexism; where student activism could drive peace and progress. However, no sooner had they hoped for a better future than the hopes of many were crushed under the instability and fragility caused by the overwhelming student politics across all campuses of the nation.
Despite students being more vocal about their rights, some students are neglecting their own boundaries -- disregarding their teachers, acting only upon impulses without proper judgement, raising feuds and affrays even now about political drama, doing things without any direction, like a boat without a sail, and most significantly, derailing from studies.
If guided properly, student politics can become a force for positive change rather than division, materializing a stronger and more just Bangladesh
Undoubtedly, students hold the competency to reform and ameliorate the basic living standards of a country. For this reason, I believe some undeniable modifications must be made in the overall conditions and structures of student politics in Bangladesh.
First and foremost, student leaders have to think beyond the welfare of their respective parties. They have to think for the betterment of the entirety of students. They should move forward with thorough analytical planning, focusing more on the shortcomings of their institution instead of pondering upon their political alliances.
For example, if an institution doesn’t have enough classrooms, lab facilities, or encompasses accommodation issues, student wings of political parties should work to ensure overcoming these issues by unification with the campus’s administration. Then, student leaders should increase volunteering activities for environmental initiatives, community services, and healthcare commodities.
Youth is the evergreen marrow of students, which, if harnessed properly, can eradicate some of the most pressing issues of our nation, such as road accidents, bribery in governmental institutes, discrimination in job sectors, and harassment of women. With resistance and good standing, students can ensure women’s safety on campuses, and make educational institutions a trusted place for a student’s independent living.
Student politics can be turned into the best weapon to combat evil jurisdictions. With guidance and counseling from professors, outlining a map to stop violence among students over political views, implementing knowledge from books in real life, and shifting to practical logistics and problem-solving tactics, arranging peaceful seminars and symposiums to interchange different political views and foster mutual appreciation among different parties, student politics can enhance Bangladesh rapidly indeed.
If guided properly, student politics can become a force for positive change rather than division, materializing a stronger and more just Bangladesh.
Ramisa Rubaba Rashed is a student at Rajuk Uttara Model College.
